- Russian leads 7-6(5), 6-3, 3-0 when injured Korda throws in towel
- Khachanov makes second consecutive grand slam semi-final
Of the three tennis players from Russia currently ranked inside the top 20, it was Karen Khachanov, the least celebrated, who broke through before them all. He established himself by winning his first Masters 1000 title at the Paris Masters in November 2018, beating Novak Djokovic in the final. Instead of using the achievement as a career stepping stone, though, he languished. His peers soon passed him by.
It has been a long, difficult road back to relevance, but on Tuesday afternoon, Khachanov moved into his first Australian Open semi-final after Sebastian Korda retired with a wrist injury while Khachanov led 7-6(5), 6-3, 3-0. After reaching the semi-final of the US Open last year, it is Khachanov’s second consecutive grand slam semi-final.